CHRISTIANSBURG (WSLS 10) - It's three days until Love Wins, a fundraiser Holly Litos has been organizing for nearly a year.
"A positive message and to make something good out of something really terrible that had happened," she said.
Love Wins is a health, fitness and educational event designed to empower women, particularly women who are victims of domestic violence.
"It was a journey that my mom had started to take right before her death to try and get physically stronger so that she could empower herself to take the steps to leave," Litos said.
Her mother, Anne "Mickey" Faville, was an elementary school teacher killed by her husband after years of suspected abuse.
DAUGHTER OF FORMER SCHOOL TEACHER KILLED BY FATHER, WHO LATER KILLED HIMSELF, SHARES STORY TO HELP OTHERS
Montgomery County Sheriff's lieutenant Kenny Light to this day has Faville's picture at his desk. It's a constant reminder of the case he spent a quarter of his career with the sheriff's office investigating and getting to court. It's the type of case he says that deals with an issue people often don't want to talk about.
"The more awareness that is spread over it, the more we can kind of counter that and start bringing light to the situation," he said.
Light will be one of several speakers, including survivors of domestic violence, to speak at Love Wins. He'll focus on why victims often stay.
He said that he wanted to be part of the conversation Litos is working to keep going.
"They've been dealing with it already for a long time and they were able to find the strength and desire to not let a death be in vain. To actually do something positive about it and to bring awareness to the issue that they lost a love one over what is domestic violence."
Love Wins will benefit the Women's Resource Center in Radford. The center is a resource Litos only learned of after her mother's death.
"If we had had the Women's Resource Center at our fingertips, if she had known about it, if she had been able to tap into that, then she may still be here," she said.
Love Wins is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Blue Ridge Church, located at 1655 Roanoke Street in Christiansburg. All proceeds will go to the Women's Resource Center.
In addition to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office and Women's Resource Center will discuss their roles in the community to educate and inform community members about Domestic Violence and what everyone can do to help.